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For those of you new to following my blog, 3 months ago I quit my day job in the accounting world, mostly because my husband and I moved to Louisville for a career opportunity for the hubby. I saw this transition as a ‘sign’ & a perfect opportunity to follow my passion…YOGA. I had been longing to teach more yoga, share the practice, continue to develop my own teaching skills….really dive head first into the yoga business.
If you are a yoga student this post can be interesting to read to learn more about behind the scenes actions of your favorite yoga teacher. If you are a someone interested in becoming a teacher…or already are a teacher you may find some useful tips below (and some you may completely agree with or you may have alternative ideas and tips to share…if you do, I’d love for you share with all of us in the comment section). Get Ready, Get Set…..YOGA!!
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Secret #1 – Teaching Yoga IS a Business
Many people, including myself, have encountered, probably more often than I’d like to admit (and maybe to a certain extent have been this way myself) that yoga teacher who is aloof, almost floating on an unrealistic cloud of happiness and pure bliss – who often cancels classes without notice, seems to be carefree…and has an air of ‘things will happen as they may’. Well…we all do need to eat, pay bills, and provide for our families….and to be a successful making teaching yoga your full time job it is best to treat it as a BUSINESS:
- Professionalism is required
- Arrive on time / End class on time
- Teaching yoga is no longer your hobby
- Understand that your passion is now your job
Secret #2 – Teaching Yoga is NOT Easy
I wrote about the idea that Yoga is NOT easy in a recent post, Butterflies & Roses, the same idea holds true for teaching yoga. I am not trying to scare away future yoga teachers, however, it is important to be clear and understand some things that may not be obvious when we are whisked away into post blissful savasana life.
- Building recurring weekly classes happens slowly (and should happen mindfully)
- Requires Organization & Coordination especially as you start to work with many studio locations
- Physically demanding (You might teach between 1 and 4 classes a day, often times demonstrating 25% of the class without being properly ‘warm’) – I noticed my body ached considerably over the past 3 months.
- Financially, teaching yoga can be a slow growing process. Likely you will not become a millionaire (granted some yoga ‘celebrity’ teachers have). Therefore you should definitely have a nest egg available for you to pull from as you build your weekly classes.
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Secret #3 – Networking
Ouch, what a harsh word. After all I left the corporate world, right?!?! Do I really need to network? YES – YES – YES!!! Feel free to replace networking with any other word you like that sounds a little softer. Essentially, you need to get to know people (especially in my case because not only did I want to teach yoga full time…but I was also completely new to the city). A few tips I feel very strongly are absolute necessities in this process:
- Visit as many yoga studios as you can – financially this can be a drain, initially take advantage of promotions the studios have, usually the 1st class is free or discounted
- TAKE THE STUDIO OWNERS CLASS!!!!!
- Talk to the studio owner afterwards
- Once you've identified a few studios you would enjoy working with – attend MORE classes
- Introduce yourself to teachers after classes
- Provide feedback to teachers you’ve taken class with (COMPLIMENT OTHERS in a mindful and meaningful manner – Satya ~ truthfulness: one of the Yama's of the Eight Limbs of Yoga)
- Ask teachers/studio owners if you can meet them or even treat them to coffee and a yoga chat/date
Secret #4 – Maintain Connections
It is important to follow up with everyone you meet. Remember, out of sight ~ out of mind. Be a part of the community you are interested in teaching at. Create opportunities to connect and serve the community.
- Follow up with an email or social media message
- Yoga RESUME – create one!
- Create a Standard Email describing your skills, experience, why you would enjoy working with that studio or teacher that you can easily send to a teacher or studio owner. Attach your yoga resume – add additional details to tailor it to each specific person you are sending it to.
- Be Persistent. If you do not hear back from a studio owner. Take their class again. Send a follow up email. Be yourself, show them that you WANT to be at their studio. You WANT to learn from them.
Secret # 5 – SUB- SUB- SUB
In order to create a reputation as a teacher, whatever style you may be, you need to put yourself out there. Mention to teachers and studio owners you are available to substitute teach (sub). Sub as often as you can. View these as mini-interviews with the student base. If the students love you they will talk about you to others, as well as their regular teacher, requesting you for future classes.
Subbing can sometimes be a bit daunting knowing you are stepping into someone else’s shoes. Just be yourself. A few things I always try to do when I sub a class:
- Take the seat as a teacher at the beginning of class:
- My name is Christine and I am subbing for 'Jane, she will be back with you next week.
- I am very excited to be here with you!
- My teaching style is vinyasa based and tonight we will focus on x, x and xx
- At the end of class:
- Thank the students for their willingness to experiment with a new practice, new teacher
- Let them know when you will be teaching at that studio again
- Invite them to sign up for you yoga newsletter (See Secret Tip # 7)
Secret #6 – Social Media
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- Create a Twitter and Facebook presence --> POST useful information. Not only do I have my personal Facebook page, but I also have a facebook page for my yoga presence where I share blog posts, when I’ll be teaching, etc.
- Follow teachers and studios
- Promote your social media presence in Newsletters (see Secret 7 below) and if you feel appropriate at the end of your class
- Promote other teacher’s events
- Join any facebook groups for yoga instructors in your area. If your area does not have a teaching community resource, consider creating one yourself and invite other teachers to join. This is an excellent method to ask for substitute teachers, share fun yoga events with other teachers, and announce that you are available to help when needed.
Secret # 7 – Yoga Newsletter
How will people know what your offerings are if you do not announce them? We like to feel like we are part of a community, part of a larger group...at least I do :) I enjoy receiving newsletters from my favorite teachers, especially when they show their personal side, a little story or aha moment they discovered. It helps to create a connection, a sense of community and a desire to learn more from the teacher. Some tips:
- Share a personal story, quote, aha moment
- Use visuals, pictures are always more fun than a TON of words (although...this post is a bit more wordy than visual) :)
- Timing and Quantity combination. Give students enough time to sign up for events, but try not to inundate students with so many emails their initial reaction is to just delete
- Share pertinent and relevant information (you would want to read)
- Here is a recent example of one of my newsletters
Secret #8 – Patience
In the beginning I was only substitute teaching. You cannot expect that just because you've decided you want to be a yoga teacher, all of a sudden everyone will want you to teach and be on their weekly schedule.
Gradually, I started teaching 1 consistent class a week, subbing as often as I could. In just 3 months I worked my way to teaching 10 weekly classes. I continue to receive requests to teach classes on a consistent basis...so patience prevailed.
If you put yourself out there continuously, if you show up for the world, it will be there for you.
Secret #9 – Self Care
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- Practice yoga yourself daily even if just for 10 minutes
- Make time for at least 2 to 3 1+ hour practices a week so you can experiment with your own sequences
- REST, take a bath, read a non-yoga related book, splurge on a massage or manicure or pedicure periodically
- Take a restorative yoga class or Legs up the Wall as a way to wind down your day
Secret #10 – Continuous Learning & Re-evaluating
In order to stay fresh in your teaching, the insights you share as a teacher, the inspiration that students glean from you....you must continue to fortify your practice with new bits of information and personal experiences. Continue to re-evaluate your practice, the reasons you are teaching, your motivations to practice, share and serve.
The beauty of being a vinyasa yoga teacher is that each class is different, full of unexpected opening, shifting through poses to tap into a new layer of the body. So, as a vinyasa teacher a great tool to stay inspired with new ideas for each class....is to practice from different teachers and different styles with an open mind. My favorite way to do this is through yogaglo, an online source of yoga classes.
Some additional resources I follow that provide excellent tips for yoga teachers:
- Other Yoga Teachers!!! ~ Ask them questions, bounce ideas off each other, share!
- Yogipreneur - This yoga entrepreneur shares mindful insights into being in the business of teaching yoga
- The Toughest Job You’ll Ever Love – with a great section on ‘can you make a living
- Ready to Teach
- Perfect Peace Yoga, a yoga teacher friend in DC, recently wrote this post, the True Business of Yoga
Whew!!! What a ton of information. Each of these secrets could probably be their own blog post full of additional tips and ideas. If you have any questions or want me to elaborate more on my thoughts....just let me know. And...as always, I enjoy hearing your feedback as well. We all learn from each other.
Fabulous insights--thank you! And, kudos to you on the new path you have taken as a full-time yoga teacher! T.
ReplyDeleteHi Tina! So glad some of the insights resonated with you!
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